Rick Davies, the co-founder, singer and pianist of the British rock group Supertramp, died Saturday at his home on Long Island. He was 81.
Supertramp confirmed on the band's website that Davies died of cancer after a years-long battle with multiple myeloma. The tribute described Davies as the voice and pianist behind some of the group's most enduring songs and noted his warmth, resilience and long devotion to his wife, Sue.
Born in Swindon, England, in 1944, Davies developed an early love of music that the band said grew into a lifelong passion for jazz, blues and rock 'n' roll. Alongside songwriting partner Roger Hodgson, he co-wrote and sang many of Supertramp's best-known tracks, including "Goodbye Stranger" and "Bloody Well Right." The band's statement credited Davies's soulful vocals and his distinctive touch on the Wurlitzer electric piano as central elements of Supertramp's sound.
Davies helped keep Supertramp together after Hodgson left the band following a dispute in 1983 and pursued other endeavors. The group's statement said that although serious health challenges eventually kept Davies from continuing to tour with Supertramp, he still enjoyed performing with friends from his hometown under the name Ricky and the Rockets.
Over more than five decades with his wife, Sue, Davies remained active in music even as his diagnosis limited his ability to tour. The band's online tribute said his music and legacy "continue to inspire many and bears testament to the fact that great songs never die, they live on." The statement did not provide additional details about memorial plans.
Supertramp rose to international prominence with a blend of rock, pop and progressive influences, and Davies's songwriting and piano work were key to the group's commercial success. While Hodgson often sang the band's highest-charting singles, Davies's compositions and lead vocals supplied much of the group's darker, blues-tinged counterbalance.
Davies's career spanned decades of recording and performance, and his colleagues and fans have credited him with sustaining the band through personnel changes and shifting musical trends. In later years, he performed locally and with smaller ensembles after his illness made large-scale touring impractical.
Davies's passing drew messages of remembrance from fans and fellow musicians who cited his songwriting, distinctive voice and role in shaping Supertramp's catalogue. The band's announcement closed by noting that his music endures and that his contributions to rock music remain influential.
No further details about funeral arrangements or surviving family members were released in the band's statement.